The Rise of House Valdis Read online

  The Rise of House Valdis by Naomi Valkyrie

  Copyright © 2019 Naomi A. McDonald

  Editor: R. E. Bishop

  Designer: R M Graphx

  The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form

  or by any means, including electronic or mechanical means, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval systems, without express permission from the author. The only exception is in the case of brief quotations for reviews.

  This book is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales, is entirely coincidental.

  Table of Contents

  Acknowledgments

  Chapter one

  Chapter two

  Chapter three

  Chapter four

  Chapter five

  Chapter six

  Chapter seven

  Chapter eight

  Chapter nine

  Chapter ten

  Chapter eleven

  Chapter twelve

  Chapter thirteen

  Chapter fourteen

  Chapter fifteen

  Chapter sixteen

  Chapter seventeen

  Chapter eighteen

  Chapter nineteen

  Chapter twenty

  Chapter twenty-one

  Chapter twenty-two

  Chapter twenty-three

  Chapter twenty-four

  Chapter twenty-five

  Chapter twenty-six

  Chapter twenty-seven

  Chapter twenty-eight

  Chapter twenty-nine

  Chapter thirty

  Chapter thirty-one

  Chapter thirty-two

  Chapter thirty-three

  Chapter thirty-four

  Chapter thirty-five

  Chapter thirty-six

  Chapter thirty-seven

  Chapter thirty-eight

  Chapter thirty-nine

  Chapter forty

  Chapter forty-one

  Chapter forty-two

  Chapter forty-three

  Chapter forty-four

  Chapter forty-five

  Chapter forty-six

  Chapter forty-seven

  Chapter forty-eight

  Chapter forty-nine

  Chapter fifty

  Chapter fifty-one

  Chapter fifty-two

  Chapter fifty-three

  Chapter fifty-four

  Chapter fifty-five

  Chapter fifty-six

  Chapter fifty-seven

  Chapter fifty-eight

  Chapter fifty-nine

  Chapter sixty

  Epilogue

  For Stacey Haggard Brewer

  Inspiration. Kindred. Wordsmith.

  Thank you for embracing my dark little heart.

  The world is not the same without you. I miss you.

  For Kayla

  Childhood friend. Wild sister. Rebel girl. Fae.

  Faced the demons and the demons won.

  I love you. You will always be in my heart.

  Acknowledgments

  A big thank you to my husband, Scott.

  I know putting up with my writing mania and numerous freak outs during this process wasn’t easy.

  R. E. Bishop, I have so much appreciation for you.

  This book wouldn’t have been possible without your support and all of the time you invested in editing.

  Big thanks to RM Gilmore at RMGraphx for the superb cover design. You rock!

  Gratitude to Colleen at Itsy Bitsy Book Bits for all of her hard work to get my book in front of people.

  An enormous thank you to all of the baristas at the Starbucks in Wylie.

  Thanks for keeping me stocked with green tea and for listening to my ramblings during the writing process.

  And, thank you for not kicking me out when I kept bitching about editing.

  CHAPTER ONE

  Xenobia

  “After seven years, you would think at least one guy would have caught your attention,” Maggie says with a sigh. She’s been after me to start a relationship for a couple of years now. It isn’t that I don’t want one, but when your business is men, it blurs the lines if you start dating one of them. Not to mention, it puts a strain on any relationship if your partner can’t handle you seeing other men.

  “You know I like to keep things professional,” I respond, with the necessary eye roll to punctuate just how ridiculous I think this conversation is. She’s like a dog with a bone when it comes to this particular topic. I don’t think she will ever let it go.

  “Besides, I take enough risk just doing what I am doing. Can you imagine me in a serious relationship with a human? The first time I use my powers in front of him, the poor man would run screaming for the hills.”

  The truth is, I use my power all of the time, but subtle versions; enough to be able to make my business lucrative, but not enough to make myself stand out.

  “Xenobia, you can’t go through the rest of your life alone.”

  I know Maggie means well, especially with the concerned look she’s giving me, but I just can’t give her the answer she wants. Yep, this seems like a good time to switch topics and fast.

  “How are the new girls settling in?” I ask, crossing my fingers that it would sidetrack Maggie.

  “Pretty well actually. Susan is sticking with her AA Meetings and Melody is just enjoying the comforts of a warm bed and a roof over her head.” Maggie pauses to sip her coffee. “All-in-all, I’d say we’re making progress. But don’t think I can’t see what you’re doing. Nice try.”

  The exasperated sigh that comes out of my mouth could probably wake the dead. So much for distraction. “Well, lucky for me we’ll have to continue this conversation later, I have to go interview a potential client.”

  “I haven’t given up on you yet.” Maggie hugs me and I see the mischief in her eyes as I turn to walk toward my office. She’s never going to let this go.

  ***

  Entering my office, I am grateful for the silence. It gives me time to prepare for my client interview without distraction. These interviews are a vital necessity to keep the girls safe.I have to be sharp and focused, on top of my game.

  Shutting my office door, I make my way to my meditation area. As I light the incense, the scent permeates the room and begins to help me focus. I close my eyes in order to commune more closely with my powers. I can feel the hum of energy that constantly flows through my body. All of my glamour falls away as my true image appears. If anyone were to see me now, they would see a woman with navy blue skin, black hair with blue highlights, and eyes as black as night. It takes a lot of effort to hold the illusion in place, so I appreciate the moments when I no longer have to maintain it.

  I allow my mind to quietly observe the thoughts moving through it. My body relaxes further with each breath. As I’m just reaching the place where I commune with my powers, I feel his presence. I’m used to feeling nervous energy coming from potential clients, but this guy is wearing it like a bad cologne. Sometimes energy has a “smell” to me, and this one definitely does. I hope I don’t choke on it. It seems like it is a good thing I had at least a few minutes of meditation before this appointment. From the feel of things, this is going to be energy intense. Rising from my meditation cushion I position myself at my desk, glamour back in place. Any minute now Sylvia will show him into the office. I’m already ready for this to be over with.

  ***

  Sylvia gives a brief knock and then opens the door just enough to poke her head in. “You ready?”

  “As ready as I’ll ever be. Send him in.” Sylvia raises an eyebr
ow at me, and I just nod for her to carry on. It isn’t like I can explain what I’m experiencing. She thinks I’m human. She would probably freak if she knew the truth.

  Mr. Smith-how original-looks to be about 6 feet tall with sandy colored hair. If I had to guess, I’d say he was in his fifties. I motion to the chair in front of my desk hoping he will make haste so I can either set him at ease or send him on his way.

  He glances around nervously like he’s waiting for someone to catch him in this “house of ill repute” as so many people are fond of calling it. From the look of it, I’m guessing this is his first time looking for a companion. I glance at his left hand for a ring or any indication that he’s been wearing one. We don’t cater to married men here if we can keep from it, too much drama. Not seeing any evidence of attachment, I proceed to get to the conversation.

  “Mr. Smith,” I begin, but stop because he jumps like a scared rabbit. If we’re going to get anywhere I’m going to have to use a little bit of power to calm him down. “Why don’t you tell me what brings you here,” I try again. This time I weave a bit of power into my words. He begins to visibly relax. I’m not a mind reader, but emotions, emotions are one of my specialties. His shoulders start to move down from his ears. He still won’t meet my eyes though, so I know something is up.

  “Javier wants the girls back,” he mumbles in a rush.

  Well, this is not what I expected. It also explains why he’s so nervous. No one likes to be a go-between bringing bad news.

  I just stare at him. I don’t even know what to say at the moment. I mean, the girls aren’t going back. I won’t force them to stay, but I doubt any of them want to feel like property again. At least with me, they have a choice, a life.

  Even with the magic-induced calm, I can tell he is truly scared underneath all of the nervous energy. Well, he should be. Javier isn’t someone you want to be tangling with. Frankly, I’m surprised it took him this long to come after me. I guess he finally talked himself into denying his own experience with my powers.

  Back when I was still grappling to understand life on Earth, I caught Javier beating Maggie. To say I came unglued is putting it mildly. I didn’t have as much control over my powers then and I nearly killed him. No one believed his story about what happened. I appeared to be human, and he sounded like a lunatic whenever he described the incident. Only Maggie and I know he was telling the truth. I took her away from his “employment” that night along with the other girls that wanted to come. We might have “borrowed” a bit of his money too. The girls are owed reparation for the suffering he caused them. At least that’s the way I see it. Five years it has taken him to finally resurface in my life. I admit I’m curious as to why it is happening now, but I just stare at Mr. Smith while I try to figure out what I want to do.

  CHAPTER TWO

  Xenobia

  “Why you?” I ask finally.

  “Excuse me?” he responds with a confused look.

  “Why send you? You clearly aren’t an enforcer, you can hardly even look at me. What could possibly be the motivation for sending you?”

  His eyes fill with tears. Crap! I’m pretty sure I am not going to like where this is going.

  “He’s got my daughter. Says he’ll give her back unharmed if I bring the girls back to him.”

  I send my power into him and can feel that he is telling the truth. He believes what he is telling me. Javier had to know this guy wasn’t enticing enough to get the job done. He planned on keeping the girl regardless.

  “Why did he take your daughter?

  “I owe him money. I couldn’t pay it back when he asked for it. He took my daughter and told me she could work off my debt unless I ran this errand for him. Please. You’ve got to send the girls back.” I can feel his desperation as he pleads with me.

  “Well, Mr. Smith, we seem to be in a sticky situation here. You know I can’t send the girls back. First of all, I don’t own them, they make their own choices; and secondly, even if I did, I wouldn’t send them back to that kind of abuse.

  At this, he loses all control and sobs shake his entire body. I get up and walk out from behind my desk. Placing my hand on his shoulder, I send a bit of comfort into him. “But we can’t very well leave your daughter with him either, can we?”

  His eyes finally meet mine. “But you said you weren’t going to send the girls back. How are we supposed to get my daughter away from him?”

  “How much do you owe him?”

  “A hundred grand.”

  “What do you say we just give him the money? I’ve got enough to cover it.”

  His eyes widen at my offer. I can’t tell whether he is surprised that I have that much money or that I made the offer in the first place. What was I going to do, leave a girl in a dangerous situation? Not a chance, at least not if I can help it.

  “What’s the catch?” He asks, his voice laced with suspicion. I guess in his experience, nothing came without strings attached.

  “No catch. I don’t want anything from you other than for you to not make the same kind of decisions that got you in this situation in the first place.” I don’t know why he owes the money and I am not going to ask. I’ve read him, and I know deep down he is a good person. He just got lost somewhere along the way.

  “Why would you do this for me. You don’t even know me?”

  “I know you love your daughter, that’s all I need to know. Now, call Javier and tell him you have the money. Tell him you’ll meet him tonight to make the trade.”

  He makes the call and sets the trade for ten o’clock. I can only hope we’ve thrown Javier off his game enough to actually go through with it. He wasn’t expecting it to play out this way, so that could work to our advantage. Listen to me, talking like I do this type of thing every day. To be honest, this my first ransom exchange. I can’t say as I care to be put in this position, but I’ll be damned if I leave an innocent girl in Javier’s clutches.

  Mr. Smith walks out of my office with a sense of relief, but I can tell he’s still nervous. Who wouldn’t be with an impending ransom exchange hanging over their head. It’ll take me most of the day to make the arrangements to get the money. I’d better get on it.

  ***

  Once again, I sit in my office alone. I close my eyes and let out a sigh. Is this going to be a thing now, getting involved in other people’s extreme drama? I hope not, but I have a feeling this is only the beginning. When I said I wanted to help women, I didn’t really have a grand plan. I figured that even though it wasn’t planned, taking in Maggie and the girls was a good start. But now it looks like something bigger is unfolding. After five years of quiet, it can’t just be random chance that Javier shows up now. He’s up to something, and for some reason, it involves the girls. I need to know what his end game is.

  ***

  Eight-thirty rolls around and I hand off the money to Mr. Smith. He looks me in the eye for a minute as if making a decision. “My daughter’s name is Mercy,” he says, and then walks away. It dawns on me that he doesn’t think he’s coming back from this, and maybe he’s right. I hope he’s not. Once Mercy gets out of this, she’s going to need someone to be there for her while she heals. There is no telling what Javier and his goons have put her through already.

  CHAPTER THREE

  Xenobia

  What a day! Time for a good book and some rest. I need to put this whole business with Mr. Smith out of my mind. Just as my butt hits the couch cushion, the phone rings. Who is calling me at this hour? Seriously! I contemplate letting it go to voice mail, but I’ve got a feeling in my gut that I need to answer it.

  “Xenobia Valdis speaking.” Silence. I am about to hang up when I hear a shaky breath.

  “Save Mercy. You’ve got to save Mercy.”

  “Smith, is that you?” Stupid question, who else would it be? “Tell me where you are!” Silence.

  Crap! I reach out with my power and feel him. He’s barely hanging on. If he doesn’t tell me how to find her, we’ve lost.
Pushing more power into him I ask, “Where are you?”

  The energy I’ve given him isn’t enough to keep him alive, he’s too far gone, but it’ll keep him going long enough for me to get what I need.

  “Bridge, just outside of town…near the warehouses.” Those are his last words. I feel his life burn out. I want to feel sad about it, but I don’t have time to dwell on it. I have to find Mercy. If there is even a chance she’s still alive, I have to get to her.

  ***

  I don’t often wish I had more powers, but at this moment I do. The ability to fly would come in handy. Unfortunately, I don’t think anyone actually has that ability. It’s going to take me at least twenty minutes to get to the bridge. I try not to think about it as I push the gas pedal harder.

  Before the bridge is in sight, I pull the car over. I don’t want to be too far away in case we have to get away quickly, but I also don’t know what I am headed into so a bit of stealth is prudent. Getting out of the car, I send my power out to get a better idea of Mercy’s location. I’m instantly knocked to my knees with the weight of her emotions. She’s terrified, but I can also sense something muddying the energy. It’s like she’s in a fog.

  Before I know it I’m moving, drawn to her. Making my way down the embankment I trip over something. I am so focused on getting to her that I’m not paying attention to what is in my path. Looking down I realize it is Mr. Smith…or what is left of him anyway. His eyes are frozen open staring at the night sky. I can’t imagine what he went through. I’m still staring down at him when I hear Mercy. She’s fairly close by.

  Silently I move toward the brush where I heard the sound. What I find both freezes and sears my insides. In the darkness, I can see two men are with her. One is holding her up while the other is fucking her from behind. I can’t control the rage that is bubbling up. I know I need to, but all I can see are flashbacks with Urd. Abuse-rape-ultimately her death. On my world, I watched my best friend raped and then slaughtered like an animal. I lost myself and I killed. I killed every last man that was involved. I don’t want to be a killer, not here when I have the chance to start over, but the rage won’t let go.